still speaking...

Hebrews 11:4

The key words are faith, righteous and speaks. The person the author focuses on in this verse is Abel. The connection is that Abel was one from Israel's history who demonstrated great faith. The reason the author includes this list of people is to remind the readers that they are part of the spiritual line who does not shrink back in the face of adversity but believes and is saved (10:39). The people in the list are individuals who are examples of faith in the face of extraordinary odds.
Abel's faith moved him to bring a better sacrifice to God than Cain brought. His faith resulted in God declaring him righteous. There is all kinds of speculation about why Abel's sacrifice was more acceptable to God than Cain's was. Some speculate it was because Abel brought some of the best of his flocks, some speculate it was because Abel's sacrifice involved blood. The truth is that neither Genesis or Hebrews really tell us. All we know is that Abel's sacrifice was motivated by faith. Probably faith in the fact that God was one day going to bring about the Seed that would crush the head of evil forever. This is supported by the fact that faith in the coming Seed and in the coming city is a theme through Hebrews 11. So, Abel's sacrifice was an act of trust in the work of God. Abel trusted God for salvation. Cain trusted himself. The Genesis account indicates that Eve thought Cain was the Seed and Cain has a record of taking matters into his own hands. His sacrifice, rather than being an act of faith in the work of God, is an attempt to gain salvation. In other words, Cain is trying to manipulate God. This self-reliant attitude is prevalent in human history. Against this back drop of self-reliance, Abel's act of faith stands out and continues to speak to us today.
What does it say to us? That God has accomplished salvation and there is no work left to do. It also tells us that God will not be manipulated. I will never be able to get God to owe me anything because of the quality of my service, my sacrifice or my life. It also tells us that God responds favourably to worship from pure motives. Abel's worship was in response to God's provision of salvation. Here's the paradox: when my worship is in response to God's goodness, God responds favourably to my worship; when my worship is an attempt to get God to respond favourably to me, God rejects my worship. There are many times that my worship has been an attempt at manipulation and more focused on me than on God.

seeing the invisible

Hebrews 11:1-3

The author defines faith as being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. The author will support this definition by reciting those things for which the ancients were commended. The author gives the first example in verse 3: we haven't seen the universe spoken into existence by God but by faith we are certain that this is how the universe came into existence. Now, there is still lots of room for interpretation in the phrase "the universe was formed at God's command."
Even in the formation of the universe the author expands the theme of visible and invisible: what we see was made from what was unseeable (yep, made that word up!). It's a theme that is going to be perpetuated through this chapter: people acting on what was unseen. The author's point is to move the audience to the same kind of faith when facing the situations they are currently in: it might not seem like God is intervening but faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see so the audience can have faith that God is at work to bring about their ultimate redemption, to establish his kingdom in the hearts of humans and, eventually, on earth and that he is present with them in the midst of their severe persecution.
Some of the more ancient traditions and, I think, Hebrew teaching describes God as one who cannot be known. There is truth to that. God is indefinable by scientific standards. He cannot be measured or quantified. While some have seen something of his glory and some have heard him speak, I have never touched, smelt, tasted, heard, or seen God. I think he refuses to reveal himself to me according to any of my senses because he knows that I would then define him by and limit him to that experience and as soon as I do that, I have created God according to my image.
The obvious action plan for me would be to say that I was going to have more faith. However, I know that I can't manufacture faith on my own. I need God to give me the ability to even trust. How often I've prayed the prayer of Thomas: Lord, I believe. Help me in my unbelief.

the need to persevere

Hebrews 10:32-39

The author continues with the theme of perseverance. In this section, the author uses positive reinforcement to motivate the reader to persevere. In the previous section, the author used negative reinforcement. The author commends the audience for standing firm under severe persecution in the past and reminds them of their need to continue to persevere in the present.
The author lists the positive actions of the audience in the past: publicly exposed to insult, stood with those who were publicly exposed to insult, suffered with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of property. The key to their perseverance is seen at the end of verse 34: you yourselves knew that you had better and lasting possessions. The audience understood that no matter what was done to them on earth that there was something better waiting for them in eternity that could not be taken away by humans. The author encourages the audience that eternity is closer than they think.
I need this mindset. I need to remember that there is something coming that is far better than anything the present has to offer. If I truly understood what eternity was about, even just a little bit of it, I would be much bolder in my work for the kingdom of heaven, I would hold on to my possessions much more loosely and I would not be as stressed about finances.

the hands of the living God

Hebrews 10:26-31

The key idea in this paragraph is that a terrible judgment is waiting for those who deliberately treat as unholy the blood of Christ. The connection to the previous paragraph is that Christ offered one sacrifice for sins so those who continue to deliberately sin after receiving knowledge of Christ's sacrifice have no other sacrifice to depend on. If there is no hope of salvation because they have rejected the sacrifice of Christ, then the only hope, or expectation, is judgment.
The author uses very graphic words to describe both the judgment and the sinfulness of those who deliberately turn from God's grace. The judgment is described as raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. The deliberate sinfulness is described in terms of trampling Christ underfoot, treating the blood of the new covenant as unholy and insulting the Spirit.
This helps me to understand the horror of my willful sinfulness. It drives me to repentance. I have not only knowledge of the truth but encounters with the Truth. Yet, I have willfully sinned. According to the author, I have not only sinned by thinking or acting in rebellion against God, I have deepened my sin by cheapening the grace of God and making the blood of Christ common and unholy. What grace that I am still alive! What grace that I still have salvation and the Spirit! What grace that the hands of the living of God have become a place of rest, shelter and protection instead of a place of judgment, wrath and fear!
I am struck by the image of God's hands. By the grace of God and the sacrifice of Christ, I no longer fear being in his hands. In fact, there is no other place I'd rather be. And, by the grace of God and the work of Christ, I can place people in God's hands knowing that he will protect and provide grace and mercy for their time of need. Yes, God's hands are still a dreadful place to be for those who disregard the holiness of the blood of Christ but they are an awesome place to be for those who are covered by the grace of Christ.

putting the spurs to you!

Hebrews 10:19-25

This paragraph is a "since, then" construction. There is a lot of theological information in this paragraph but it is basically a summary of the author's arguments up to this point from which a conclusion is drawn. The author uses the word "therefore" to connect the practical application to the previous arguments. The subject is: what should we do since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy place and a great high priest over the house of God? The complement: We should draw near to God with a sincere heart, hold unswervingly to the hope we profess and spur each other on to love and good deeds.
I think it is significant that one of the ways that we can spur each other on to love and good deeds is to meet together. At least one of the purposes of meeting together is for mutual encouragement. The author speaks directly against those who are giving up this habit and appeals to the imminent return of Christ as a reason to continue. However, just getting together is not what the author has in mind. For there to be actual encouragement and "spurring" taking place, we must be willing to be vulnerable and honest with those we meet together with (wow! bad grammar!). There must be those with whom we can be completely open and vulnerable and who will call us on our masks and b.s. I've never been spurred but they don't look very comfortable for the horse. I think that if I have the kind of community that the author is referring to here, it won't be comfortable at times but it will be good!
I think this passage is very appropriate for the time of year. I love the sentimentality of Christmas but it is so much more than a sentiment or "Christmas spirit." This passage reminds me what Christmas is about: God became flesh so he could bleed and by his blood a way has been open for me to draw near to God and to have an everlasting hope.

not necessary

Hebrews 10:15-18

The superiority of the new covenant is seen in that the laws of the covenant are written on our hearts and not on tablets of stone... although my heart certainly resembles stone at times. I think this means that we are no longer dependent on legal experts and priests to interpret the laws for us. The Holy Spirit is at work in each of us to interpret the laws of the new covenant. We have the Word, the Spirit and the Church and in this new covenant, each member of the Church has as much to contribute to my understanding as anyone else. While there are those who are certainly wiser and more studied, the Spirit is the real "legal expert" and as the Spirit has been given in equal measure to each of us, just as God had apportioned, there is no way that I can discount the contribution of anyone.
The key to the covenant is the forgiveness of sins. I love the simplicity of the final statement of this paragraph: "and where these (sins) have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary." I think I still find this hard to believe. I know, of course, that I don't have to find an unblemished sheep or a spotless ox and burn it on an altar but I am still making sacrifices for my sin in other ways - I'm trying to earn my salvation. What I'm really saying by doing this is that Christ's sacrifice is insufficient. The truth is that it is more than sufficient. Instead of de-valuing the sacrifice of Christ, I want to accept it totally and completely.

I'm Perfect

Hebrews 10:11-14

The author contrasts the repetitive daily religious duties of the priests in the temple with the one time sacrifice of Christ. The author uses an almost comic image: the image is of priests scurrying around, performing the same tasks day in and day out. Then Jesus steps us, performs one superior sacrifice and sits down in his easy chair, waiting for his footstool to be brought to him. It's a picture of royal relaxation. I don't want to down play the significance of Christ's sacrifice for it is vital and bigger than I can fully fathom but the image of Jesus relaxing while the priests scurry is humorous to me.
The author also contrasts the results of Christ's sacrifice to the results of the daily sacrifices of the priests: the priests' sacrifices can never take away sin but Christ's sacrifice made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Two things I see in that phrase: one, that I have been made perfect forever by the sacrifice of Christ. This means that there is nothing I can do to make myself more perfect. Everything has already been accomplished in Christ so my perfection is no credit to myself. There is no ability or characteristic in myself that makes me perfect. I needed an outside force to achieve perfection. Secondly, I am still in the process of being made holy. I think holy and perfect are synonyms with slightly different meanings. So the author is basically saying that Christ's sacrifice has achieved perfection for those who are in the process of being made perfect. It sounds like an oxymoron but there is truth to it. In regards to the justice of God, I am wholly justified through the sacrifice of Christ - I am already perfect. When it comes to fully realizing and living out that justification, I still have a long way to go - I am being made perfect.
Both are a result of Christ's sacrifice. Yes, I believe that I have a minor role to play in working out my salvation but even my ability to live out my perfection is completely dependent on the grace of God in Christ. I will never be able to boast (which 'nucks because I like boasting) because I have done nothing except believe.

What does God want?

Hebrews 10:5-10

So, God sets up this system of sacrifice, law and temple rituals and now the author is shredding it because something superior has come through Christ. All the arguments so far make sense but it does raise the question, how could the common person in Israel have known that the temple rituals were not enough? For that matter, how could anyone outside of Israel have known about God and his requirements? First, I think that this speaks to the huge responsibility that leaders had and continue to have. The common person in Israel probably was not able to read and was completely dependent on the religious experts for not just interpretation of the covenant but to read the covenant to them. The NT writers also speak of the huge responsibility that teachers and leaders have. This responsibility, when I understand it fully, fills me with incredible fear. By God's grace, this is not the debilitating fear that prevents me from doing anything but the motivating fear that causes me to be very careful in my actions, words and interactions.
In these few words from Psalm 40 the whole sacrificial system would be threatened: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire." The author even mentions that these offerings were offered according to the Law. In other words, the people were being obedient to what they knew. I mean looking back it is clear that the psalm was pointing to obedience being more important than rituals and, ultimately, to the obedience of Christ and his ultimate sacrifice. But how were the people who were living then supposed to see that?
My main concern is that if the people who lived under the Old Covenant were unable to see the coming promise of the future New Covenant, what am I missing? Is it possible that, just as the religious leaders then misinterpreted the role of the temple rituals and the law, religious leaders today are misinterpreting the Scripture? The author will argue that people who lived under the Old Covenant, and even before the Old Covenant, were able to see beyond the Covenant and rituals to the Promise by faith (chapter 11). I guess the answer to my concern is to continue to grow in faith in God; that the Spirit will illuminate my mind and heart to understand and, more importantly, obey the Scripture. It is also to see that everything, including the sacrificial system and laws of the former covenant, points to Christ. If I keep seeking Christ, I won't miss the point.

Shadows

Hebrews 10:1-4

Key words: law, shadow, reality, sacrifice, perfect/cleanse and sins. The main argument is that the law is a shadow of the good things that are to come and, by implication, that the new covenant brings the realities of those shadows. Putting it in literary terms, the author is saying that the law with its tabernacle and religious rituals is foreshadowing the reality of the new covenant with its heavenly tabernacle and the sacrifice of Christ. The implication is that the shadow cannot be greater than the reality and therefore Christ and his new covenant is superior.
In this section the author argues his point but directing the reader's attention to the sacrificial system that is part of the old covenant. The author contends that the sacrifices offered year after year do not make anyone perfect. If they did, there would be no need to offer them again. This is a clue to when the book of Hebrews was written; the temple was destroyed in 70AD bringing a forceful end to the sacrificial system. The author indicates that at the time of writing, the sacrificial system is still in operation. This means it is likely that the book was written sometime before 70AD.
The author talks about the sacrificial system in much the same way that Paul talks about the law: Pauls says that the law "caused" sin and the author states that the sacrificial system, rather than wiping away the guilt of sin, acts as a yearly memorial to sin. I don't think that being reminded of my sin is a bad thing as long as it ends in worship. I think that part of remembering my Lord's death by eating bread and drinking wine is reflecting on the cause of his death - my sin. Not to heap guilt on myself - for there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ - but to increase my awe at the incredible unconditional love that Christ displayed for me and at the incredible way that he satisfied the justice and grace of God. I no longer live in the time of shadows. I live in the time of realized grace and forgiveness. I don't have to dream about being forgiven and pure; I can experience it now through Christ's blood.

Written in Blood

Hebrews 9:16-28

This is a longer section where the author talks about the necessity of death to bring a will or covenant into effect. He points to the old covenant which was only put into effect by the blood of animals. Moses sprinkled the scroll, the people, the tabernacle and everything in it. The author concludes that without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness.
If the copies of the heavenly things were cleansed through animal sacrifice, then a greater and better sacrifice is necessary for the heavenly things to be consecrated. Jesus' sacrifice is superior to the sacrifices offered under the Mosaic covenant because Jesus sacrifice consecrates the real tabernacle in heaven, not just its earthly copies and because Jesus sacrifice stands for all time, unlike the constant animal sacrifices necessary under the Mosaic covenant.
The author's is using a very hebraic logical argument which, in overly simplistic terms, sort of looks like a wheel: the main point is the hub and the arguments which prove the main point are the spokes. Rather than following one spoke all the way to argue for the main point, the hebraic logical argument moves around the wheel from spoke to spoke gradually making its way to the center. If we were to re-write Hebrews to fit a western (or greek) logical argument, we would state our main idea (the supremacy of Christ and then we would take all the sections about Christ's priesthood being superior to the Aaronic priesthood and put them all in the same spot and then take all the arguments about Christ's sacrifice being greater than the sacrifices of the tabernacle and put them all in the same spot, and then all the arguments about the heavenly tabernacle where Christ serves as being superior to the earthly tabernacle where the priests serve and put them all at the same spot, etc.
Because of the hebraic construct of this book, we find elements of all those arguments in this section. In our minds it seems repetitive, which it is but each time the author revisits or incorporates one of the spokes, it is explored more fully with the goal of moving the reader ever inward towards the conclusion that Christ is superior to anything in the old system and covenant.

Eternal Inheritance

Hebrews 9:15

Almost every word in this verse is a key word. The main key words are: covenant, inheritance, and ransom. This verse connects to the previous verses: "for this reason" refers to the superiority of Christ's sacrifice and tabernacle. Because Christ's sacrifice and blood has cleansed us eternally and completely, he is the mediator of the new covenant. It also connects to the subsequent verses in that the idea of an inheritance is continued: we only receive an inheritance when someone dies and the new "will" or "covenant" only comes into effect when someone dies. Therefore, the death of Christ is necessary for the covenant to come into effect and for us to receive our inheritance.
As one who has been called, I live free of the old covenant and the sins committed under the old covenant by the death and blood of Christ. In this season of advent, I think it is essential for me to remember that the story of Christmas does not end in a manger but climaxes in a cross and an empty grave. The hope of Christmas is realized in the crucifixion.

A Superior Sacrifice

Hebrews 9:11-14

The author contrasts the heavenly tabernacle (perfect and actual) to the earthly tabernacle (imperfect and symbolic), the ministry of the priests to the ministry of Christ and the blood of Christ to the blood of the bulls and goats. In doing this, the author is showing that the redemption that Christ secured for us is eternal and complete as contrasted to the redemption secured by goats and calves which is temporary and external.
The purpose for which Christ saves us is so that we may serve the living God. This blows apart the religious way of thinking: I serve God so that I can be saved. The author is asserting that the message and sacrifice of Christ tells us that it is impossible to serve and please God until we have been cleansed by the blood of Christ.
As much as I have been raised with this knowledge and have even taught this truth I still have a tendency to revert to a religious way of thinking: that I do these acts in order to put God in my debt. I must repent of this sinful thinking and constantly remind myself, with the help of the Spirit, that I serve at the pleasure of God only because I have already been cleansed. God owes me nothing and never will. I owe God everything - not out of obligation, not because I could ever earn or repay him for his grace but because I am continually growing in my understanding of what Christ has done for me which stirs up a response of love which moves me to service.

A Virtual Tour of the Old Tabernacle

Hebrews 9:1-10

In this section, the author describes the layout and function of the old tabernacle. This continues the author's thought about the superiority of the heavenly temple compared to the earthly system. The train of thought is something like: since Jesus presides over a superior system, he must also be superior over all things.
There are two phrases that catch my attention. The first is in v. 8 where the author states that the Holy Spirit was showing that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed. The author isn't saying that there was some magic password that was necessary but that accss into the Most Holy Place had not been granted to the ordinary person - they were still dependent on the High Priest to represent them to God. The implication for me is that I now have access to the Most Holy Place through the blood of Christ - which the author will explore more fully in the next section.
The other phrase is at the end of verse 7 where it indicates that the high priest offered sacrifices for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. I'm not sure what that phrase means. It either means that the people had committed sins in ignorance and that the offering of the high priest covers even those sins or that the high priest was making an offering without knowing what the sins of the people were. Either way this is good news: either it means that the sins that I commit without even really knowing I was sinning are still covered by the blood of Christ or else it is a comparison; the high priest made offerings without even knowing what the sins of the people were but Jesus, fully knowing each one of my sins, took all that sin on himself, and all the wrath of God that went with them, when he died for me. Either way, my response is "hallelujah, what a Saviour!"

New and Improved...

Hebrews 8:7-13

Up to this point, the author has focused on the superior priesthood of Christ. As proof, the author emphasized that Jesus belonged to the priestly order of Mechizedek (superior to the levitical priesthood) and ministered in the heavenly sanctuary (superior to the earthly tabernacle). As part of the argument, the author made a statement that the new priesthood required a new law or new covenant. Now the author is arguing that the new covenant is superior to the old.
The author's argument is that there would be no need for a new covenant if there was nothing wrong with the old covenant. Therefore, by its very existence, the new covenant shows itself to be superior to the old covenant. The author directs the reader's attention to Jeremiah 31:31-34 to remind the reader that the new covenant was promised by God even while the old covenant was still in existence. At the end of the quote, the author declares that the new makes the old obsolete.
The features of the new covenant are quite interesting: it involves both Israel and Judah, which, at the time of Jeremiah, were two separate kingdoms. Therefore the new covenant is going to re-unite what is separated. Obviously, looking back from our position in history, the full implications are that even Gentiles are going to be brought in as part of the new covenant. The new covenant will be unconditional. Unlike the old covenant which depended on the faithful observance of the nation, the new covenant will depend solely on the faithfulness of God and the sacrifice of Christ. The new covenant will do away with the religious structures and rituals of the old. God will speak directly to people and it will not be necessary to go through a human priest or a religious ritual to approach him. He will write his laws directly on the hearts and minds of the people. They will no longer need to rely on priests for the Lord will reveal himself directly to people. The new covenant will be based on the forgiveness of sin.
I am so glad that I live in the time of the new covenant. If I lived during the time of the old covenant, I think that I would be someone who is very good at observing the rituals and traditions but my life and heart would be void of any spiritual vitality. I would miss the point of the rituals and focus on the rituals themselves. I am glad that I live in a time when the Spirit speaks directly to people and is not mediated through a priestly system. I am glad that I live in a time when Jesus is my superior high priest of a superior priestly order and has brought in a superior covenant with superior promises. I am humbled that God has chosen me to be one to whom he has revealed himself and in whom he has written his law. What a privilege and what grace!

Superior Ministry, Superior Covenant, Superior Promises

Hebrews 8:3-6

The key words in this section are: priest, offerings, gifts, covenant, ministry, promises. The author contrasts the earthly high priests and their ministry to Jesus and his ministry. The author also contrasts the old covenant and its promises to the new covenant and its promises. The author's argument is: The ministry of Jesus is superior to the ministry of the earthly priests because the place where Jesus ministers is superior to the place where the earthly priests minister. The author's proof of the supremacy of the heavenly "temple" is that the earthly sanctuary is a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary.
The author then turns to the covenants: the new covenant is superior to the old covenant because the promises upon which the new covenant is built are superior to the promises upon which the old covenant is built. The author is going to argue for the superiority of the new covenant in the next section.
I am struck by how the author glosses over the sacrifice of Christ at this point. It is referred to in verse 3 saying that because all priests were appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices then Jesus also had to have something to offer. The author does not say anything else about it until chapter 10. I would think the author would want to get to the sacrifice quickly because it, at least by my Western way of thinking, proves the supremacy of Christ completely; the sacrifice he offers is superior to the sacrifices of the priest. However, I think in the Hebrew way of thinking, the author has to first prove that Jesus was a priest who was qualified and authourized to make offerings. I just learned at our CS Lewis Christian Thought Series with Dr. Flint that the Jewish rabbis and legal experts were most concerned with the covenants and legal sections of the Bible. In this light, it makes complete sense for the author to lay a foundation from the covenant and the law to show the qualifications and supremacy of Christ.
I am also struck by the author's boldness. In our Canadian tolerance, I am very careful about how I speak about and to other people's belief systems. I am still convinced that there is a place for respect and gentleness. However, the author reminds me that there is also a place for boldness and courage. I must not shrink from the truth. If Christ's ministry is superior and the promises of Christ are superior, I must not be afraid to show them to be superior. Spirit, help me to be bold and courageous. Help me to keep truth and love in its rightful balance. I tend towards one extreme or the other: loveless truth or truthless love. Keep me centered.

The True Tabernacle

Hebrews 8:1-2

The author states his main point: "we have such (referring back to the superior priestly order of Melchizedek) a high priest, who sat down forever (indicating that he is no longer offering sacrifices because his one sacrifice was enough for all people - if they accept it on their behalf - for all time. This means that his sacrifice is superior to the sacrifices offered in the old, levitical order) at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven (indicating the superior position of Christ as compared to the position of the earthly, levitical priests. Jesus has authourity and favour), and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being (making this tabernacle with its accompanying law or covenant, priestly order, and high priest superior to the the one made by human hands with its accompanying law, priestly order and high priests)."
What an amazing picture of Jesus! He is our priest. I no longer have to go through human mediators to get to God. I now have direct access to the Holy of Holies through Jesus. He mediates my access to the Father. His sacrifice has made it possible for me to be forgiven of all my sins for all time. His sacrifice demands that God, in his justice, not hold my sin against me, if I ask for forgiveness, because he has already held it against Christ. What a Saviour! What a new deal, or covenant, I have through Christ! This moves me to worship. What an amazing God who would pour out all the judgment I deserve on his Son so that I could become his son. What an amazing deal that Christ would give his life for me - his perfect, full, pure life - and take mine in return - my wavering, broken, sinful life. My heart cannot contain it. My mind cannot fathom it. I am so unworthy of it. What an amazing priest!

The Perfect Priest

Hebrews 7:26-28

The author contrasts Jesus, the priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, with the priests under the Levitical system. The priests in the levitical order had to offer sacrifices continually, first to cover their own sins and then for the sins of the people. Jesus, as the great high priest, offered only one sacrifice when he offered himself as the perfect, eternal sacrifice on sinners' behalf. This supports the author's point that Jesus is the High Priest that we need; that in his perfection, holiness, blamelessness, purity, etc. he truly provides the way for us to be reconciled to God. This makes Jesus not only superior to the levitical priests and the Jewish temple rituals but it makes him perfect.
Again, I am reminded that my hope is built on nothing besides Jesus and that is all I need for hope, salvation, reconciliation and justification. By grace alone through faith alone.

Eternal Priesthood

Hebrews 7:20-25

The author is continuing his sermon on Psalm 110:4, exploring the Melchizedek priestly order that Jesus has become high priest in. The author now focuses on the oath that God made to this priestly line, and to the Messiah in particular, and the new covenant that Jesus brings in as the high priest in the order of Melchizedek. This goes back to the author's main point: the supremacy of Christ and of the new covenant.
He argues his point by contrasting the Melchizedek priestly order with the Levitical order: First, God has guaranteed that the Melchizedek order would be eternal, and that the Messiah would be the eternal high priest, by an oath; he has never made that guarantee to the Levitical order. Therefore, the priesthood of Jesus rests securely on God's promise and oath and is therefore superior to the Levitical priesthood. Second, the Levitical priests were mortal and therefore there were a lot of them; Jesus' priesthood is eternal because Jesus lives forever. Therefore, the priesthood of Jesus is superior because it lasts forever. This means that the covenant that we have under the priesthood of Christ is also superior in that it rests on God's oath, lasts as long as Jesus is high priest (forever!) and, therefore, we are offered a complete salvation (contrasted to the "partial" salvation available under the law).
My salvation rests in Christ's ability to intercede on my behalf. Because he is always alive, he is always able to point to his blood that was the payment for all my sins. When I ask for forgiveness, Christ, as high priest, takes that request to his Father, pointing to his shed blood which demands that God forgive my sin because Jesus has already paid for it and it would be unjust for God to demand two payments. What an incredible plan God has brought! What a great salvation has been purchased on my behalf! There is no reason to fear that God's mercy will ever run out because my forgiveness depends as much on his justice as it does his mercy. Jesus sacrifice completely and forever satisfies the justice of God and I am saved for all time in all areas of my life. Thank-you for saving me! What can I say?

Priesthood of Melchizedek

Hebrews 7:11-19

It's certainly true that the author is going to leave the elementary teachings! This is some tough stuff to figure out. Basically the author is comparing the Levitical system to the new system that has been brought in under Christ. So the key words in this section are: priesthood, law, change, hope. The author is continuing his exposition of Psalm 110:4 (You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek). The author has explored who Melchizedek was and why his priesthood was greater than the Levitical priesthood (see the previous post). Now the author is setting out to prove that Jesus was a priest in the order of Melchizedek and therefore fulfills Psalm 110:4. This is to prove the greater point of the supremacy of Christ over any Jewish system, covenant or ritual. The author uses the following points to prove his point: 1) The eternal nature of the Melchizedek order indicates that the Levitical order was not enough to achieve perfection. Therefore the Melchizedek order is better than the Levitical order. 2) With a change in priesthood comes a change in the law. It is only possible for Jesus to be a high priest if there is a change in the law since under the Old Covenant, only descendants of Levi could be priests and only descendants of Aaron could be high priests. Since the Melchizedek order is greater than the Levitical order, then the covenant that the new order brings in must be greater than the covenant that existed under the Levitical order. 3) Jesus did not belong to the tribe of Levi or the line of Aaron. Therefore he could not be a high priest in the Levitical order under the old covenant. Jesus becomes a high priest by virtue of his indestructible life (his resurrection) and therefore fulfills the "forever" part of Psalm 110:4. 4) Through the resurrection of Christ, the Melchizedek order has been brought in and with it a new covenant which offers us a new hope - a better hope.
Not only is Jesus both Priest and King, just like Melchizedek, he has made us to be a kingdom of priests. This means that we, as disciples of Christ, are to be facilitating the worship of our families, of our fellow disciples and of those who do not yet know Christ. The question for me is: am I facilitating access to God through Christ or am I building structures, barriers, rituals, etc. that are keeping people from Christ? This does not mean that structures and rituals are bad. It just means that they must be a means to helping people connect to Christ. We have a structure and an order to our youth nights. However, the structure is not the point - the point is that students have the opportunity to connect with Christ and we use the structure to make that possible. So, what structures am I creating? Are they helping others (and myself) to connect to Christ or erecting barriers that are preventing access?

Melchizedek

Hebrews 7:1-10

This Melchizedek character is a bit mysterious. He shows up in only two other places: once in Genesis 14 where we learn that he is both a priest and king, that he blesses Abraham and that Abraham gives him a thithe. In all, the incident takes up three verses. The other place his name is mentioned is in Psalm 110 which is a Messianic psalm, acknowledging the dual role of priest and king that the Messiah will play. Melchizedek is found in one line: "You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." It is to that line that the author alludes to at the very end of chapter six - it is not quite a direct quote but so close that in a college paper, the prof would definitely require an aknowledgement of source.
From the amount of time that the author spends on Melchizedek here, more than in any other place in Scripture, it seems that Melchizedek is a revered figure in Hebrew legend. The author points out that he was greater than Abraham because he blessed Abraham (the greater blesses the lesser) and because Abraham paid him a tithe. The author argues that as the father of all Jews, Abraham is the father of the Levites and therefore the Levites share in the tithe that Abraham paid to Melchizedek and concludes that the order of Melchizedek is greater than the order of the Levites. He is setting the argument that Jesus fulfills the role of both priest and king (and is therefore the Messiah) because whether or not he is a Levite, he is a priest in the order of Melchizedek.
The author is returning to his main argument that Jesus is the pre-eminent high priest. He has argued so far that is ultimate because he empathizes with our temptations, he is in heaven and became the source of eternal salvation for all who believe. The author reminds me that it is all about Jesus. That in Jesus I have something infinitely greater than any religious system and that my life has been reorganized with Jesus at the center and everything else revolving around him.

the anchor

Hebrews 6:16-20

The key words in this passage are: oath, hope, anchor, high priest. The author is continuing his thought about the certainty of God's promise of Sabbath rest. The author's argument that humans swear by something greater than themselves to confirm their statements. There is nothing higher than God so when God makes a promise, he swears by himself. This makes the promise doubly guaranteed: the first guarantee is that God cannot lie and the second guarantee is the oath that God made.
There are a couple of really interesting images. The first is the image of fleeing to take hold of the hope. There's a sense of urgency, even emergency. As if there is imminent danger and the readers and the author have sensed this danger and have fled to find refuge in the hope of Sabbath rest. The second image is that of an anchor that is secured in the Most Holy Place. The anchor speaks of security, the theme of this section. The fact that is secured in the Most Holy Place indicates that the disciple's security is tied to the unchanging character of God. The author also brings up the idea of Christ being a high priest in the order of Melchizedek again. This is something the author will explore more fully in the next section.
This passage reminds me of the unchanging nature of God's character. Part of being able to trust God is the fact that God never changes. He is eternally constant. He is and was and is to come. My understanding of God will change - hopefully continually growing fuller and deeper - but he is constant. This gives me great confidence in my salvation in that it depends on the unchanging character of God. I can rest assured that I will enter God's promised, future Sabbath rest - not because of my own character, abilities or accomplishments but because of God's. That takes the pressure off!

I Swear...

Hebrews 6:13-15

The promise is what connects this paragraph to the previous paragraphs. The author has tried to prevent the readers from falling away first by warning them of the dire consequences if they do and then by exhorting them to work patiently and faithfully to inherit the promise. In this paragraph, the author reminds the readers that the promise of God is completely sure. He goes back to Abraham to show how trustworthy God's promise is.
The theme of patience also shows up in this paragraph as well. This indicates that the readers were growing impatient with the promise of God and were in danger of giving up on the faith, motivating the author's warnings at the beginning of the chapter. The author reminds the readers that Abraham had to wait to receive what God had promised but that did not mean that God was not trustworthy. In the same way, the readers can be sure that they will receive what God has promised (going back to the promised Sabbath rest in chapter 4) even though it is taking longer than they would like.
The author would speak the same message to us today: God is trustworthy and he will keep his promise. Be patient, work hard, have faith and don't fall away! The ways that I see people falling away today are many: ungodliness, immorality, materialism, complacency, turning following Christ into a religion or sub-culture, etc. I know that one of the ways that I tend to fall away is by losing sight of the fact that Christ will return, that the promise will become reality.

Faith and Patience

Hebrews 6:9-11

The key words are: salvation, work, love, help, diligence, hope. The author contrasts laziness with faith and patience and parallels God's justice with his remembering the work of his children. The theme is faith, particularly the faith of our spiritual ancestors - a theme that the author will camp on in Hebrews 11 and 12. Another theme is the surety of our hope - a theme that the author will develop in the next couple of verses.
This section takes almost the opposite tone as the previous paragraphs: the previous paragraph being a dire warning and this paragraph being an encouragement to continue in the faith. The main thought is that, in light of the devastating consequences of falling away and the amazing hope if you hold on to faith, work hard to hold on to your faith.
This is a good affirmation for me. I do not feel in extreme danger of falling away from my faith, although I always need to be cautious because I know how weak I am; a few choices and changes in circumstances and my faith could be in extreme danger, apart from the grace of God. I need to work hard now, before my faith is in danger, to continue to solidify the foundations of my faith so that when the tough times come, I am ready and my faith can stand. Of course I recognize that while there is a human component to my faith - in other words, there are things that I am responsible for when it comes to my faith - it is Christ and his grace that ultimately sustains me. My work is to stay connected to him.

Graduate School Teaching

Hebrews 6:4-8

The author warned his readers that he was going to leave the elementary teaching and he certainly did! The author lists characteristics of those who have participated in Christian community: enlightened, tasted the heavenly gift, shared in the Holy Spirit, tasted the goodness of the word of God. This certainly seems like a description of someone who has been saved. The challenge is that the author says that it is impossible for someone who has experienced everything listed and has fallen away to be brought back to repentance. This passage seems to be teaching that it is possible for a person to lose his salvation. This does not really line up with my understanding of other Scripture passages so either my understanding of other Scripture is wrong or my understanding of this passage is wrong.
Even for those who believe that it is possible to lose your salvation, this passage causes major problems because it teaches that if you lose your salvation (fall away) it is impossible to be brought back to repentance. Most who believe it is possible to lose your salvation also believe that it is possible to regain it upon repentance.
It is possible that the list of characteristics could apply to someone who has entered fully into Christian community or the Christian sub-culture but has never surrendered her life to Christ - therefore, the person was never truly a Christian. In my opinion some major interpreting of the characteristics in the author's list is needed to support this view. However, it is not impossible to support.
The metaphor at the end of the passage actually helps: those who fall away are like land that has experienced much rain - in this case all the blessings of being a part of Christian community - but only produce thorns a thistles. The warning for me is that I must continually evaluate whether I am more in love with Christ or more in love with the blessings I receive from Christian community. This is a hard evaluation because Christ and his gifts are so connected. However, I must ask the Holy Spirit for help because it is of the utmost importance that my heart is more enraptured with Christ than it is with his blessings - my eternal destination is at stake. I must also be very careful to point people more to Christ than to his gifts. While the blessings of Christian community may draw people to Christ, I must make sure to help people see beyond the gifts to the Giver. Their eternal destiny depends on it!

Re-Laying Foundations

Hebrews 6:1-3

The author continues his thought from the previous chapter about the maturity level of his audience. The author indicates his intention to move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ, which the next paragraph certainly does. Nothing like going from elementary school to graduate school in less than two paragraphs. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
The author lists the foundational teachings: repentance, faith in God, cleansing rites, laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Looking at this list, my mind is suddenly engaged. I think that it would make a great outline for a new believer's class: the class on cleansing rites could be about religious rituals and the class on laying on of hands could be about spiritual gifts and calling.
The sad part about looking at this list is that I think a lot of so called "mature" disciples of Christ don't have this foundation. The author says that he is not going to lay the foundation again. Instead he is going to build on the foundation. For me, I need to make sure that: 1) I have a good foundation of teaching to build on in my own personal journey, 2) that I lay a good foundation of elementary truths for disciples to whom I minister and 3) I rely on God's wisdom to know when it is time to move on from the foundations in the disciples I am leading.

Back to Elementary

Hebrews 5:11-14

The author contrasts teachers and students, milk and solid food, infants and mature. The author is frustrated because there is so much more to explore regarding the priesthood of Christ but the audience is not even trying to understand the deeper truths and the author has to return to elementary teachings. The author compares the elementary teachings to milk from a mother's breast and the deeper teaching to solid food. The audience has obviously been disciples of Christ for a while since the author believes that, by this time, they should be teachers. However, they have not grown and matured in their faith and they still need someone to teach them.
There are a couple of applications for me. The first is obviously that I need to make sure that I never give up trying to understand the truths about Christ. There is better and more solid food, deeper and more wonderful truths to be enjoyed. If I am healthy, I must continue to grow. I must continue to have a deeper, fuller and more wonderful understanding of the teachings and person of Christ. The second application is especially relevant as I prepare to preach this weekend. I must recognize that there are people that I will be speaking to who are at all various degrees of maturity in their faith. There will be some who are relatively young and who need milk. There will be some who are more mature and can handle solid food. I must make sure that I provide both - not pandering to those who are not growing but continuing to encourage their development. As a pastor, I must recognize that part of my calling is to help others continue to grow in their spiritual journey. Like a parent, I must introduce more solid food and encourage people to move beyond milk. I must challenge those who are not growing and are no longer trying to understand. All of this, of course, must be done in the power of the Spirit and with the help of God.

The Weeping Messiah

Hebrews 5:7-10

This paragraph is part of the author's description of Jesus as the Great High Priest. In this paragraph he is focusing on Christ's priestly ministry of intercession for the people before God. The key themes are prayer and obedience. When the author talks about Jesus offering fervent prayers with cries and tears, I immediately think of the Garden of Gesthemane. I think the author has that in mind as well but the author also indicates that this was not the only time that Jesus prayed with such fervency. The author indicates that this was a normal pattern for Jesus.
There are a couple of interesting phrases or ideas in this paragraph. First, the author says that Jesus was heard when he prayed to the one who could deliver him from death. At first I was confused by that. I could make the argument that Jesus was heard, just as the Father hears all our prayers, but that the answer was "no". However, the author's point seems to be that we can trust Jesus as our Great High Priest because God heard and responded positively to his prayer to escape death and therefore, as Jesus intercedes on our behalf, we can expect positive answers to our prayers as well. After doing some investigating, I discovered that this is precisely the point of the author and was reminded that Jesus did escape death; the Father responded to his prayer by raising him to life again.
This is a reminder to me that God may not always respond to my prayers in the way that I initially want or expect him to but that he will respond in a way that will bring him maximum glory. I can trust Jesus, even when facing death, even when dying, because I know that I have a High Priest who has even gone through and conquered death.
The second interesting phrase is: "once made perfect". This challenges my belief that Jesus was perfect because, right from conception, miracles had prevented him from inheriting the sin nature common to humanity and because he was fully God. The author's point is not that Jesus had some imperfection to work through and, after his time of obedience, his record was wiped clean and he was made perfect. The author's point is that as Jesus grew and developed as a human being he continued to face tests of obedience and as he continued to respond in submission to God he continued to work out and display his perfection. I can remember when I played volleyball and my dad was coaching. I was a terrible server. My dad would pull me off the court whenever it was my time to serve because I sucked! My dad also kept service stats that he'd post on the bulletin board outside the gym. I remember one time I went 0 for 0. I could say that I served a perfect game. However, I had not served at all. I think that's what the author was saying about Jesus. He was perfect but only as far as his obedience and perfection was tested. In Jesus' life, it was tested to the utmost. There is no greater test of obedience and Jesus passed it with flying colours, displaying his perfection. It is upon this life of perfect obedience that we now have hope for eternal life and for our own ultimate perfecting.
Here's what I know from this passage: I can trust Jesus as my intercessor and high priest because he is passionate in his prayer, because God hears and responds to his requests and because he is the only person who has earned the right to stand before God by his perfect life of obedience and submission. So, why do I pray so little?

Priest of the People

Hebrews 5:1-6

This continues the author's teaching about Jesus being the great high priest. The first paragraph of this section deals with the qualifications of the high priest: one of the people, represents the people to God, called by God. I think the part that speaks most loudly to me is "able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness." I am not a priest by virtue of my being a pastor. I am a priest by virtue of my being a disciple of Christ. Jesus has created a kingdom of priests. We all have direct access to the Holy Presence of God through Christ and we all have the responsibility to come before God on behalf of each other. As a pastor, I have even greater responsibility in some ways to shepherd and teach people in a way that reflects the glory and character of God. I know that I have not always dealt gently with those who are going astray. I have forgotten that I am also subject to weakness and have more often played the role of the prophet than the priest. I pray that God would increase my priestly heart.
The author's point is that Jesus did not take the authourity of being a high priest on himself but that he was appointed by God. The author uses two quotes from two Psalms to support his point. The first is from Psalm 2 which was likely sung at a king's coronation. This is frequently used as a Messianic psalm in the NT, meaning that while it had a direct historical fulfillment in the coronation of kings, that it was ultimately fulfilled in in Christ. The second is from Psalm 110. This is again has several Messianic themes in it, especially the joining of the office of King and Priest. The author introduces the theme of the "order of Melchizedek". He will pick up on this them later.
Again, for the author, it's all about Jesus. He points to Jesus as our Supreme High Priest: from the people, familiar with our weaknesses, tempted with our temptations, appointed by God to represent us before God. What a glorious picture of Christ!

The Supreme High Priest

Hebrews 4:14-16

The word "therefore" threw me for a loop. I was looking back at the previous flow of thought from the rest of chapter four and I just couldn't figure out how the author could, in my understanding, jump from a discussion on obeying God's Word in order to enter God's Sabbath rest to Jesus being the great high priest. Turns out I wasn't looking back far enough to catch the author's train of thought. Thankfully Pastor Steve pointed me in the right direction: I had to back to the end of chapter two and the beginning of chapter three: Jesus, in becoming like us, became our merciful and faithful high priest who is able to enter into our temptations and suffering(2:17-18) therefore, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess (4:14).
There are multiple interwoven arguments and themes because holding on to the faith we profess is the theme of the previous section but the motivation for holding on to faith is the rest we can achieve when we do. Now the author turns back to his previous motivation: that Jesus empathizes with our weakness and enters into our suffering but did it without falling into sin. This gives us confidence to approach the throne of God, knowing that he hears our prayers and empathizes with our needs.
Again the author's main point is the supremacy of Christ. Jesus is the supreme high priest because he allows us direct access to the throne of God. There is no longer a veil. Also, he empathizes with and enters into our pain.

The Double-Edged Word of God

Hebrews 4:12-13

The author makes a comparison between the God's Word and a sharp double-edged sword. Unlike the sword, God's Word is able to divide not just flesh but soul from spirit. God's Word lays bare the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. God's Word is linked very closely to God: just as the attitudes of the heart are not hidden from God's Word, nothing is hidden from God's sight; just as the Word judges the thoughts of the heart, we must give an account to God. This reminds me of the importance of God's Word - that I read God's Word not just to find things that I must change about myself or rules that I must obey but to discover Jesus, the revelation of God. I cannot separate God and his Word. To know God I must know the Word and to obey God I must obey the Word.
The author uses a connecting word at the beginning of this paragraph indicating that his thoughts about God's Word are the conclusion of, or at least flows from, what he has been saying about the Sabbath rest that is available for those who will obey God. The line of reasoning is fairly clear: to enter God's Sabbath rest we must obey God and to know who God is and what he wants us to do we must read and obey God's Word.

Work Hard To Rest

Hebrews 4:6-11

The author continues his inductive study on Psalm 95:7-11 but specifically looking at verses 7-8 and 11. He is specifically studying the Sabbath rest of God. His line of reasoning goes as follows: God's promise is that humans can enter his Sabbath rest if they believe and obey his word. Since the Israelites did not enter his rest because they were disobedient, God's promise is still open and has not been fulfilled yet. Psalm 95:11 makes it clear that the promise has been extended to a period of time called "Today". If the Promised Land was the Promised Rest, then God's promise would have been fulfilled when Joshua led the people into the land. However, Psalm 95:11 was spoken through David and David comes after Joshua. The warning is written to the people alive in David's day. The author extends that warning to the present day since, according to the author, we are all still living in the time period called "Today". The promise of God, according to the author, is therefore still not completely fulfilled and there remains a Sabbath rest available to all those who do not harden their hearts when they hear the voice of God.
The application is that the author's audience should work hard to make sure that they enter into the Sabbath rest of God and avoid following the example of the ancestors of Israel. The application for me is the same: what am I hearing from God's word that I need to start obeying. By not obeying I am questioning the word of God (did God really mean that?) and the character of God (can God be trusted?). It is not enough to hear the word of God or even to agree with the word of God, I must act on it! I must not just believe it, it must become a conviction!
The other application for me is that there is a rest available to me that is experienced at some level today and more fully in eternity. It doesn't mean that I stop working but that the goal of my work is to experience the rest of God. So much of what I do is busy work. I don't want to appear lazy so I make sure I am busy - often for the sake of just doing something. This has become a badge of honour in our society. Do a test. If you ask someone how they are doing or how their summer/fall/weekend/week was, I bet that the next most common response, after some variation of "good", will be a variation of "busy". I want there to be, at the core of my being and presence, a sense of rest and refreshment because I have tasted and, to at least a small degree, live in the Sabbath rest of God. I want to work hard to experience that rest.

A Sabbath For Me

Hebrews 4:1-5

The author continues on his thoughts about the Sabbath rest that God has invited his people to enter. This continues his exploration of Psalm 95 but here the author focuses on the word "rest." The author contends that because the nation of Israel did not enter the Sabbath rest of God that the promise of entering that rest still stands. The author draws a parallel between the response of the OT Jews and the audience's potential; they both had a good news message proclaimed to them but the OT Jews did not share the faith of those who believed. I think "those who believed" is a reference to the people that the author lists in Hebrews 11.
Looking forward, I think that faith is going to be one of the themes that the author picks up on in the rest of the book. For sure it is a theme picked up on in Hebrews 11 and 12. It fits with the rest of the author's thesis: the supremacy of Christ and, therefore, the supremacy of everything that Christ offers to his disciples over what the Jewish religious system offers. Faith becomes the way to access the presence and glory of God and all the benefits that Christ offers - specifically in this passage, rest. Promise is another theme that will be picked up on in the rest of the book. Here, the focus is on the promise of rest.
It is interesting to me how well the author knows the OT but doesn't know where anything is (grin!). Twice the author has said something like, "there is a place where someone has testified..." and "somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words..." The words about the seventh day are fairly significant and quite easy to remember where they are - it's right at the beginning of the OT. I can't be too harsh on him though because I know that I've done something similar in a lot in my sermons: "as Scripture reminds us..." or "the Bible says..." Steve (my go to guy on this stuff) wonders if it is a common expression like "the good book says" or if he is just doing what we all tend to do in our talks and sermons.
The main point the author is making in this passage is that there is a Sabbath rest available for the followers of Jesus and that we enter that Sabbath rest by faith. This Sabbath rest is a promise that will be fulfilled both in the future and that is being fulfilled in the present. I can be experiencing the rest of God right now. If I am not, that speaks to my faith and my acceptance of the good news message.

The Danger of Unbelief

Hebrews 3:16-19

The author asks a series of questions about the historical incident that prevented the Jewish adults from entering the promised rest. Basically he is making the point that it is the very people that Moses led out of captivity that have been denied entrance into God's rest. They had seen the redemptive work of God in the Exodus but still their hearts tended towards unbelief. The author is stressing that unbelief leads to disobedience. The logical flow, according to the author is: unbelief leads to disobedience leads to discipline. In this case, the discipline is death and an inability to enter God's promised rest.
All of this relates back to the quote the author uses: "if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart." The warning is that a hardened heart leads to disobedience and disobedience leads to punishment. It is an exhortation to continue in obedience to the voice of God and to make sure that my heart is soft toward him and his direction. The author is hinting that there is a promised rest for all of those who continue to obey God. The Sabbath and the Promised Land are mere shadows that point to the final Sabbath rest available to those who obey.

No Hard Hearts

Hebrews 3:7-15

This section contains another lengthy quote from the OT, in this case from Psalm 95. This strengthens the assumption that this letter is being written to Jewish Christians who would have been familiar with the OT and with Israel's history. The quote is a recitation of Israel's history, in particular the forty years they spent in the wilderness. The point the author is making is that his audience must be careful not to harden their hearts to the voice of God as their ancestors had done. The flow of his argument is that because Christ is supreme, the readers must listen to his voice.
The author also makes the point that we are responsible for each other. We are supposed to look out for each other, watching for symptoms of a hardened heart. The antidote is encouragement and so the author exhorts us to encourage each other daily so that all of us together can share in Christ by holding firmly to the end.
The author clearly points out the three pillars of our faith: the Word - the voice of Christ (v. 7b), the Spirit (v. 7a) and the community of faith (v. 12-13). We need all three in order to thrive in our faith. When we lose one, we become imbalanced and risk failure in our lives. I must make sure to lean on all three in order to have a greater understanding of what Christ is calling me to and to ensure that I do not develop a hard heart.

God's House

Hebrews 3:1-6

The image that the author creates is God's house. He is comparing Jesus and Moses in this section, talking about how Moses was faithful in his service in all God's house. The reference is to Numbers 12:7 where God judges Aaron and Miriam for stirring up rebellion against Moses. God affirms Moses' leadership because he is faithful in all God's house and has communicated with God face-to-face. This is contrast to the prophets to whom God communicates in visions.
The author compares the honour Moses receives to the honour Jesus receives, implying that Jesus is worthy of greater honour because he built the house while Moses only served in the house. Jesus is also worthy of greater honour because he is the Son, and therefore the heir, while Moses, as great as he was, is a servant. The author makes it clear that the house Moses served - the tabernacle - was a type of the house that God would ultimately build - the Church.
This section connects directly to the previous section in chapter 2. The flow of the author's thought is: Because Christ shared in our humanity and tasted death for us, we should fix our thoughts on Jesus. Again it all comes back to Jesus being the center. It is all about the supremacy of Christ. He deserves to at least be my focus and fascination. He is worthy of my full attention. Everything in my life must be centered around him - he is the sun around which the rest of my life must revolve.

Shared Humanity

Hebrews 2:14-18

Death is repeated a few times in this passage and the idea that Christ shares in my humanity is repeated, using different words, as well. In fact, the idea that Christ shared my humanity is the key idea of this section of Hebrews. The author uses this fact to reinforce his assertion of the angels position in the creation order. While humans may be a little lower than the angels, it is to humans that Christ came to help.
The author is answering the question: Why did Christ became human? His answer: So that he might help us by breaking the power of death and serving as a high priest who makes atonement for our sins.
Right now our staff team is memorizing Philippians 2:1-16. Paul is making the same point that the author is making in this passage: Christ was made in human likeness, sharing in our humanity, and was obedient to death. I think that I have heard this so many times that I no longer give it much thought. I am no longer moved, as a I should be, by this profound truth. When I pause to meditate on it, I am brought up short. I can't move past it. It is so amazing that Christ would share in my temptations and suffering so that I could be free from death and free from sin. It is beyond thought that Christ, who is the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, would die for me. Love so amazing! How can it be that Thou my God would die for me?

Band of Brothers (and Sisters)

Hebrews 2:10-13

Jesus is bringing many sons and daughters to glory. The previous verses make it clear that it is through his death that they are brought into glory (he tasted death for everyone). The author makes it clear that Jesus is the pioneer of our faith - an image that he will return to again at least once (Hebrews 12). The idea of perfecting is also a common theme in Hebrews (again mentioned in Hebrews 12, as well as other places). Here, the author uses a troubling phrase that seems to indicate that Jesus was made perfect through his suffering.
The rest of Scripture and the historical theology of the Church makes it clear that Jesus was always perfect. He never sinned. He was eternally fully God. So what does the author mean that he was made "perfect through what he suffered." I think that we need to remember that Jesus was also fully human and this means that he matured like every human does. Also, Jesus had to live his life in obedience to God so that he could be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. The perfection of Jesus is seen most clearly in the cross. He died as the perfect sacrifice so the sense of this phrase is likely that his suffering affirmed his perfection. In other words, he was made perfect to us in his suffering.
The phrase that stirs the most awe in me is verse 11. Sometimes I see myself as a second class son or daughter. By focusing on my unworthiness to be a part of the family, I negate the effects of God's grace as seen in Jesus Christ. I am a full member of the family - as much as the one who made me holy is a member - and Jesus is not ashamed to call me his brother. There are two applications for me: 1) I need to stop beating myself up. Yes, I will continue to deal harshly with sin in my life and strive for holiness with the help of the Spirit but I am still a full member of the family of God. In my false humility of seeing myself as not a full member of the family I insult God by saying his grace is not enough and I teach my son that an adopted family member is not really a full part of the family. 2) I must not see others as third or fourth class members of the family. That makes me too much like the older brother in the tale of the prodigal son. I know that I am guilty of looking down on others for the sinfulness as if God's grace might just barely be enough for me but they will certainly have to earn their way back into God's favour. This is really saying that I have earned (or have a plan to earn) God's favour and a position in the family. Again, this insults God's character and dishonour those he has created in his image and redeemed by the blood of his Son. I must stop this! If Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, then why am I?

The Place of Mortals

Hebrews 2:5-9

The key words in this section are angels, mortals (or humans), subject, and death. The author is continuing his argument about the place of angels. In this section, he compares the place of angels and humans in the creation order. His argument is that while humans are created a bit lower than the angels, it is to humans that he has given the right to rule over the earth and everything in it. This goes right back to the creation of humans and echoes the charge that God gives to humans in Genesis 1:28. The author quotes Psalm 8:4-6 in this section but introduces the quote in a strange way: "there is a place where someone has testified..." I don't know why but it just struck me. It actually makes the author seem more human and accessible because I've done the same thing many times: somewhere the Bible says...
The author compares the dominion of humans to the dominion of Christ; because of their sin, humans do not see all of earthly creation in subjection to them - having to defend themselves from wild animals and do battle with weeds, thorns and thistles - but Jesus has assumed his throne, received his crown and all things are subject to him. In this brief description of the willing humiliation of Christ, I hear echoes of Paul's writing in Philippians 2: "being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself and become obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name..."
Again, for the author, it is all about Jesus. For me, I must remember that it is Christ who reigns and that I am under his authourity and rule. I must submit myself to his agenda and his will. However, I must also recognize that I have a responsibility as given by Christ from the beginning of creation to act on Christ's behalf and to be his governor or ambassador in the areas that he has called me to. I have been commissioned by Christ to pursue and stand up for the interests of his kingdom.

The Message of Christ is Greater

Hebrews 2:1-4

This section continues the author's train of thought regarding the supremacy of Christ particularly as compared to the angels. However, here we have his application. If Christ is superior to the angels, then the message we have from Christ is superior to the message received from the angels. The message received from the angels refers to the Law. The author's argument is: if disobeying the message received from angels resulted in punishment, how much greater will the punishment be if we disobey the message of Christ.
There is an interesting parallel between 2:4 and 1:1-2. God spoke in various ways at various times through the prophets but has now spoken to us by his Son. The message of his Son is verified by God as seen by various miracles. It almost comes full circle: the various ways in the past culminate in the single voice of Christ which is confirmed to the world in various ways. All of it points to Christ. He is the fulcrum upon which everything rests.
Again, this reminds me of the supremacy of Christ. My life would not be wasted if it was all about Jesus all the time. My life would not be wasted if I looked for every opportunity to speak and live the gospel in some way and if that became the whole focus of my life. This passage serves as a triple warning for me: 1) I must make sure that I submit to the message of Christ in my life. His message is that it is not by works but only through grace that I am saved. When I live in a way that attempts to earn God's favour or to make God owe me something I am violating the message of Christ and I do so at my peril! 2) I must make sure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to hear the message of Christ so that they can submit to it. I must make sure that the message that I am proclaiming and living is the true message of Christ. The author makes it clear: escaping punishment is impossible if the message of Christ is not accepted. This must motivate me to action! 3) Everything is about Christ. I must make sure that my own life is centred around and built upon Jesus. I must make sure that my words and actions point people to Jesus. I long to be part of the long tradition of those who point others to Christ.

The Supremacy of the Son

Hebrews 1:5-14

This section contains quotes from the OT that the authour uses to indicate that the Son is greater than the angels. These quotes support the authour's thesis in verses 1-4 and indicate that there was an unhealthy fascination with, perhaps even worship of, angels. The authour's goal is to remind his readers of the supremacy of Christ.
The authour uses quotes mostly from the Book of Psalms but includes some from the historical records of the kings of Israel and Judah and the book of Deuteronomy. The main theme of the quotes is that angels are servants and the Son is the King who is given all authourity. Some of the quotes about the Son echo the authour's assertion that Christ is seated in the place of authourity at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven (v. 3, 8, 13).
The authour continues his thought about the supremacy of the name of Christ as compared to the name given the angels. The name given to Christ is found in verse 5: "Son". This is compared to the name given the angels in verse 7: "servant". The authour is showing that Christ has a special relationship to the Father and, therefore, is superior to the angels.
My question is about the use of the quotes. Historically, I am not sure that the passages quoted would have been attributed to the coming Messiah. They were mostly spoken of the present king or of God's sovreignty. I know that the authour was inspired by the Holy Spirit so that means that these verses are speaking of the Christ but it really does open up the book to reading back into the OT something that was never intended by the original human authours.
The point is that Christ is superior. I don't hear too much angel fascination or angel worship today, although it is still present in small pockets. I do wonder though if there is a growing fascination with demons. I think it is good to be aware of the spiritual forces of good and of evil in the world, but we, and be "we" I mean "I", must never lose sight of the supremacy of the Son: he is the King, he is far above the angels - whether fallen or not - in position and in power.

The Radiance of God's Glory

Hebrews 1:1-4

I already focused on the first couple of verses but the authour continues his thought in these next verses. The theme starts in verse 2 where the authour claims that the universe was created through Christ and then goes on into verse 3 where he develops his claim that Jesus is inseparable from God: he is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of God's being.
The authour clearly sees Christ as sitting on the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. This is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Jesus at his trial before the high priest and a parallel vision to that of Stephen in Acts 7, just before his death. It refers to the authourity that Jesus has - equal to God's authourity.
The authour makes a comparison in verse 4 that I don't completely understand. Jesus is as superior to the angels as his name is superior to their name. The name that the authour is referring to is found in verse 5: Son. It points to a more intimate relationship than the angels have with the Father. It also indicates a greater inheritance than the angels have. The point is that Jesus is superior to the angels.
For me the reminder is that it is all about Jesus. He is superior. I lack the language to describe the emotional response that I have to this. I think part of it is fear that I have allowed other things to become superior to Christ in my life. I think part of it is awe at the majesty and authourity of Christ. I think part of it is humility at the work that he accomplished in my life and in the world - the purification of sins. As an aside, talk about an understated way to describe the life, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ: "after he had provided purification for sins..." It reminds me that if Christ is the radiance of God's glory then the way for me to bring glory to God is to keep Christ central and superior. It brings me to the place of worship. Which is exactly where I need to be.

The Last Word

Hebrews 1:1-2

The key words in this section are: spoke (or spoken), and the contrast between the many times and ways and the last times and single way. The author is not identified and the audience is not addressed by name, although the traditional title of the book is "to the Hebrews" indicating that the assumption from early Christianity was that it was written to Jewish Christians. It is likely, since the author does not refer to the destruction of the temple in this book, that it was written before 70AD. The theme is being hinted at immediately: the superiority of Christ, especially his superiority compared to the Jewish religious system and tradition.
In these two verses, the author declares that Jesus is the fulfillment of and superior to the message of the prophets. This is a continuation and development of the themes that Stephen speaks of in Acts 7. For Stephen, it was all about Christ: he was the fulfillment of the law, he was the culmination of the scope of God's mercy and the scope of God's work. For the author, it is all about Christ. He is the full revelation of God.
I am excited to read the book of Hebrews to remind myself of the centrality of Christ and the cross. Sometimes I get lost in the details and logistics of programs and ministries. I need to remember that the point and the center is Christ and the cross. Sometimes I get lost in relationships and meeting people's needs. I need to remember that Christ is the center, foundation and culmination of all relationships. If people have only connected to me and I have not led them to Christ in some way, then that relationship has not fulfilled its purpose. I need to remember that more then answers and resources that people need Jesus. Jesus is God with us. Jesus enters our world, our pain, our joys, our failures and our triumphs. It's all about Jesus.

a great investment!

Matthew 19:27-30

It occurred to me that I didn't really deal with this section of the story. Peter, in typical bold fashion, reminds Jesus that they truly have given up everything, just as Jesus had asked the rich young man to do, and wonders what they will receive in return. Jesus points to three things: 1) they will sit on thrones of authourity over the 12 tribes of Israel, 2) they will receive eternal life and 3) they will receive 100x what they have given up. This sounds like a great investment. It's guaranteed by Jesus himself. The rate of return is unparalleled. It seems like a sure thing.
My problem is not with the rate of return. Nor is my problem with the trustworthiness of Jesus. My problem, or, to be more accurate, my question, is about some of the things that Jesus seems to commend his disciples for giving up.
I am fine with most of the list. Houses and fields cause me no problems. My commitment to Jesus should overshadow any kind of commitment to property or material possessions. I must be willing to give all of that up for the sake of Jesus. Brother, sister, father and mother don't cause me much trouble either. I get that a disciple may have to give up relationships with family in order to follow Jesus. I understand that I might have to lose touch with and lose a relationship with them for the sake of Christ.
It's the wife or children that I have trouble with. This makes me wonder if I perhaps am misunderstanding what Jesus means by giving up. Everything I have been taught is that the family is paramount. I must do whatever I can to preserve my relationship with my wife and child. We look down on those who are so consumed with their work or ministry that their family life suffers and, yet, it seems like Jesus commends that very behaviour in this passage.
I understand that I must be cautious because there are those that will use this verse as an excuse to ditch their wife and children. However, I wonder if we, in western christian culture, have so elevated the place of family that it was become an idol.
Don't get me wrong. I need to be a way better husband and father than I am and by the grace of God I will grow more and more into those roles. Also, I am asking questions here, not making statements.
Here's what I do know. I do not value Christ or his work highly enough. I want him to be my treasure and my joy. I want his heart for the world to become my heart for the world. I want him to be my number one priority.

the upside down world of the kingdom

Matthew 19:23-30

Jesus makes the statement twice, almost word for word, that it is hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. In fact, he says, it is easier for a camel to be threaded through the needle's eye than for a rich person to enter the kingdom. This shocks the disciples because they live in a world, much like ours, where everything is easier for the rich. If it is so hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom, then it must be even more impossible for anyone else to enter the kingdom. Being so insulated by the Christian culture - which is too often a mix of Christian language and worldly values - in which I grew up, I don' t think I fully understand the impact of Jesus' statements. However, those who recognize their poverty would feel the impact. They would realize more fully how the values of the kingdom are so opposite those of the world. In the kingdom humility is honoured over ambition, money doesn't count for much and servants are more important than kings.
It seems like one of Jesus' favourite statements about the kingdom is that the first will be last and the last will be first in the kingdom of heaven. I don't think I fully grasp how different the values of the kingdom are. I think I have adopted too much of the worldly values and applied them to the kingdom. I think I have ignored the clear teaching of Jesus because it is so hard to believe in light of everything else the world is teaching. I wonder where I am missing the teaching of Jesus and the treue values of the kingdom because I am seeing them through the lens of the values of the world.

What do I lack?

Matthew 19:16-22

Taken out of context, this encounter could lead to some really bad theology. Taken out of context, it seems like Jesus is telling this man that he gain eternal life through good works: keep the commandments and give to the poor. It's important to remember the context and the main point that Matthew is getting at: that Jesus is the Messiah that was foretold by the prophets. In that light, this relates to the prophets' teaching that God is pleased when his people take up the cause of the lost, the least, the last and the littlest. It also shows that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law: if you want to be perfect... follow me (v. 21).
What is the lesson for the rich young man? First, he claimed to have kept all the laws that relate to loving your neighbour as yourself. Some have taught that Jesus was setting this man up: while he may love his neighbour as himself, he clearly does not love God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. He clearly loves his possessions more than he loves God.
While this may be true, it is also obvious that this man does not really love his neighbour as himself. While he it is hypothetically possible that he has never committed adultery, never murdered, never stolen, never given false testimony, etc., it is clear that he does not really love his neighbour as himself because he is unwilling to give up what he owns for the sake of his neighbour.
The contrast between this man and the man who discovers the treasure in Matthew 13 is striking: the man who discovers the treasure goes and with JOY sells all he has in order to possess that which is worth more. This man comes in contact with the greatest treasure possible in Christ and eternal life and goes away sad and what it will cost him. It is clear what this man values more than anything: his possessions.
I must constantly be evaluating my own life to discover what I have given more value than Christ and his kingdom. What am I spending my life on? What am I pouring my time, energy and resources into? What am I unwilling to give up for the sake of Christ and his kingdom? It may not be my possessions but I know that my heart is prone to wander from the source of true joy and true life. I know that my reputation and what people think of me becomes very important to me and constantly threatens to displace Christ and his kingdom as the priority of my life. I know that my leisure time is very important to me - I deserve some self-indulgence, after all - and constantly threatens to displace Christ and his kingdom as the priority of my life. I must fight to keep Christ at the center of my universe. I know that he is far more valuable than anything else I could put there and yet, like the rich young man, I sometimes walk away sad at the steep price that Christ demands. May I learn to treasure Christ above all.

Something Worth Dying For

Acts 7:54-60

This takes place in response to Stephen's masterful defense before the Sanhedrin. Stephen has just accused the national leaders of rejecting the one prophesied by Moses, keeping the tradition of rejecting those sent by God that had been established through the history of the nation. This generation, according to Stephen, is guilty of the ultimate act of rejection because they have rejected not just the prophet but the one who was predicted by the prophets.
Luke reminds his reader that Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit, something that he has mentioned at least twice before this. Out of this fullness, Stephen receives a vision of heaven. In some ways this vision proves his defense; the God of glory has moved from the temple and the land. He is not confined to the temple. His vision of Christ standing on the right hand of God prompts the crowd to stone him.
Why did Stephen die? Because his understanding of Christianity threatened the established religion of the time and the national identity of the people. He could have compromised and not been so emphatic about the end of the religious system but his integrity and the integrity of the message of Christ would not allow him to go easy on the religious system. Besides the free access offered through Christ that would be compromised by supporting the ceremonial law, Stephen understood that the implications of the message of Christ could not be confined by the borders of Palestine. The gospel message must be preached to the Gentiles and the scope of God's mercy extends to them. This was probably as offensive to the ruling council as the end of the religious system. Stephen died because he understood the scope of Christ's message and ministry and was not willing to compromise that, even to save his own life.
This is something worth dying for, which means that it is something worth living for.

rejecting the God by rejecting his messangers

Acts 7:1-53

This passage contains a long discourse by Stephen in defense of the false charges brought against him by the synagogue of the Freemen. The specific charges were that Stephen had spoken against the temple, against Moses and, therefore, against God. Since yesterday, I've learned that the Synagogue of the Freemen was made up of former slaves and therefore Jews who were likely Greek speaking, like Stephen was. I think that they were so intense in their opposition to Stephen because they recognized Stephen as a threat to their synagogue. He was a Greek speaking Jewish follower of Christ who understood the concerns and mindset of the other Greek speaking Jews, and spoke with power and conviction, making it likely that he would attract others to discipleship of Christ.
Stephen's defense is on two fronts: the first is that the nation of Israel is who should stand accused of rejecting God because they have a history of rejecting God's messengers. This trend has continued right up to the rejection of God's son Jesus. The second defense is that the Jews have relied too much on the temple. Stephen makes it obvious from his review of Jewish history that God has been at work outside of the temple as well. In fact, for a significant portion of Israel's history, there was no place of worship and, for another significant portion of Israel's history, the place of worship was portable. The Jewish people are guilty of confining God to a building.
There are two obvious applications to me:
1) How am I rejecting God's message, and therefore God? Just yesterday I did the first draft of our volunteer staff covenant which included a section on the Authourity of Scripture. If I believe Scripture to be God's word (2 Timothy 3:16) and, therefore, to hold authourity over every area of my life, then I must not just read, study and memorize it. I must obey it. Am I obeying the message of God?
Also, is it possible that God is speaking to me through other people? I must be very careful and listen prayerfully and thoughtfully to the counsel/advice/confrontation of other people for it is possible that God is using them to speak to me. I must not be so proud as to think I have it all figured out. I don't want my historical pattern to be the same as the nation of Israel: "you always resist the Holy Spirit... you who received the law... and did not keep it" (v. 51-53).
2) How am I confining God? This keeps coming up for me. I obviously don't confine God to a building. In fact, I fight against church buildings being called "the house of the Lord" for Scripture makes it clear that both the individual follower of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19) and the community of Christ followers (Ephesians 2:21-22) is the dwelling place of the Spirit. However, I am sure that I confine God in my caucasian western briercrest conservative evangelical box (whew! That's a lot of descripters. The problem is I'm sure there's more restrictions that I'm unaware of). Again, I am totally dependent on the wisdom of the Spirit to make it clear to me what is the work of God. I do not want to restrict God in ways that he does not restrict himself. I do not want to define God in ways that he should not be defined. I pray that I would be more open to the work and voice of God in all its manifold diversity and glory.

false accusations?

Acts 6:8-15

This passage is all about how God works through those who are available to him. There is a direct parallel between being full of God's grace and power and being full of the Holy Spirit. Stephen, being in complete submission to the Spirit and full of God's grace was able to perform great wonders among the people. This caused some opposition from a certain sector of Jews. I'm not sure why this particular synagogue was so anti-Stephen. I'm sure it's significant that these were Jews from other regions who had re-settled in Jerusalem but I'm not sure why. Whatever the significance, they were able to stir up enough trouble the Stephen was eventually brought to the Sanhedrin. Just like they did to Jesus, they drummed up false charges against him.
The specific charges were that Stephen was threatening the destruction of the temple and the customs and religious rituals that had started in the time of Moses. Luke makes it clear that these charges are false - that Stephen had never blasphemed the temple or the law. However, I think they had a case. They recognized that if Jesus was truly the the only way to the Father, then following the teaching of Jesus would mean the end of their religion. There would not be a need for the temple and the religious customs and rituals.
I am a lover of structure and tradition. I need to be careful or I will find myself on the same side of the Pharisees and religious leaders of Jesus' day and the day of the early church. I need to evaluate every area of my life, including this blog, to determine what has just become religious ritual and structure and what is truly giving me life. I need to make sure that I do not impose my structures on others. I need to recognize that there is no temple, except for the individual follower of Jesus and the community of followers, and there is no required ritual except loving God with all I am and have and loving my neighbour as my self. Yes, there are things that are helpful and useful in my (and your) spiritual development but I must remember that the end goal is not the completion of the spiritual discipline but knowing Jesus. This is hard for a a lover of structure and tradition.

More plans

Proverbs 19:21

The key word or idea in this verse is "plans" (or "purpose"). This is an example of Hebrew poetry/wisdom where the author makes a statement in the first line and either expands on or contrasts it in the second line. In this case it is a contrast between the plans a human makes and the prevailing purpose of the Lord. The essence is that God's plans always prevail over the plans of humans.
Right away, this brings to mind the proverb that states: there is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death (Prov 14:12). It also brings to mind Jesus' metaphor of the wide gate and narrow gate in Matthew 7. The wide gate and wide road seem more attractive but it ends in destruction. The small gate and narrow road seems more difficult but it leads to life.
Here's what I learn from this passage:
1) There is a higher plan than my own and that plan will always prevail over my own plans because God is sovereign. Even if God's plan seems foolish, it is wiser and higher than my own plan. God's plan of salvation seems foolish: that we would not work our way to salvation but that he would pay the price for salvation so we could receive it freely. However, it is the wisest plan possible in that we, who are weak, crippled, blind, lame and poor, could never do enough to earn salvation. We are dependent on God's wonderful plan of grace and redemption.
2) I must be sure that I am not relying on my own plan and my own wisdom for salvation. I recognize these tendencies in myself and so I must be very careful to remember always that it is only and completely by the grace of God that I am saved.
3) Every day in many different ways, I have the opportunity to choose God's way or the way that seems right. I must constantly make the choice between choosing what looks easy and what is right.
4) In all the planning I do, I must remember that God is above it all. I must not allow myself to become so rigid in my planning that I leave no room for God's agenda or get terribly upset when God upsets my plan with his own.
5) I have great hope that the evil plans of many humans in this world will not succeed - it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

An Affirmation and a Gentle Rebuke

Luke 15:31-32

The final scene of the final act of the story of the Father and his two sons. The younger son has come home and the father has thrown a party to demonstrate his unearned, undeserved, unlimited love and acceptance. The older son has come home and has refused to enter the party, forcing the father to go out to him - a huge insult, making the father subservient to the older son, paralleling the insult of the younger son at the beginning of the story. The older son's protest reveals his heart; he was never serving his father out of love for his father but to gain his father's treasures. His heart is the same as that of his younger brother; he is just going about it in a more socially acceptable way.
Here, is the final plea of a father for his son. First, he reminds the son that he is loved and a part of the family. He does this by calling him, "my son". Second, he reminds the son that as part of the family he already has all the father's treasure and blessing; "everything I have is yours." He ends with a gentle rebuke by first reminding the son that the younger son is his brother: "this brother of yours." As his brother he has some obligations and responsibilities to the younger son. I think the father reminds him of his responsibilities when he says, "he was lost and is found." This is a passive sentence and implies, especially in the context of the other parables, that nobody went out looking for him. The implication is that the older brother should have gone out looking for the younger son.
The original audience certainly would have got that. In the previous two parables, when the item is lost it sparks a massive, no holds barred search until it is found. As Jesus starts this story and the younger son is lost, the anticipation would have been that somebody was going to search for him in the same way that the shepherd searched for the lost sheep and the woman searched for the lost coin. I'm sure they expected Jesus to tell them at any moment that the older son went out to search for the lost brother.
Looking at the original audience, I see two groups: 1) tax collectors and sinners - the outcasts of society, those who would have identified with the younger brother in the story - and 2) the Pharisees and teachers of the law (see Luke 15:1-2) - the elite, the responsible, those who would have identified with the elder brother. Jesus' rebuke is huge. First, it is never clear that the elder brother enters the celebration. Jesus leaves us hanging on that one. I think he is saying to the Pharisees that only they can write the end of the story. Second, it is obvious that the elder brother had an obligation to the younger brother which was never fulfilled. Rather than searching for their lost brothers and sisters, the Pharisees sit back with smug smiles and dream about how much more God is going to bless and reward them because they have been so obedient.
This is a rebuke to me. I am an older brother. Not just in position, but in attitude. I am a people pleaser and that has translated to God. I seek to please him, not because I find pleasure in pleasing him but so that I can manipulate him. I make him subservient to my needs and desires. I tell him that because I have been so good, he must be good to me. In regards to my younger brothers and sisters, I don't seek them but look down on them. I am happy to see them go because they never toed the line, only stirred the pot and rocked the boat and, frankly, they don't deserve to be a part of the household. I am afraid that I am going to miss the party because I have missed the point. I don't even know where to start to change. I don't know even know how. God, my Father, just as the father was the initiater in this story, I am depending on you to initiate change in me. I am lost with out you. I want you to change my heart so that pleasing you is my end - not pleasing you so that I can get what I want but pleasing you because I love you and long for nothing more than for you to be pleased.